With so many wonderful destinations to choose from for your Brass Band Tour, where do you start?

Value for money

Maybe the pressures of the economy over the last year make factors such as value-for -money more important than fantastic scenery, great performance venues and a host of leisure excursions. Our advice would be, don’t compromise — choose Belgium!

For years, Belgium was somewhere you drove through to get to somewhere else. So you’d be forgiven if your experiences of one of Europe’s most overlooked countries were limited to the quality of service station food.

Best brass band destination

But this small nation has a little more to it than that. And what’s more, it’s actually one of the best destinations for a brass band tour that you can find.

It’s not surprising that converts such as Dom Joly are raving about Belgium, calling it "the most underrated country in Europe." Take Antwerp, for example, second largest city in Belgium and, reputedly, home of the happiest citizens in Europe. Dig a little deeper and you might discover why.

Fine art, fine food

Not only was it home to 17th century Baroque painter Rubens, it became a centre of world diamond trade, home of fine chocolate and, most recently, a chic fashion centre. Presenter and comedienne, Amy Lamé loved the "fine art, fabulous food, stylish shopping, dazzling diamonds and heaps of history … one of Europe's most charming cities."

And there are plenty of other goodies too!

Dose of culture

The unfinished cathedral boasts examples of Rubens’ work, and after getting your dose of culture, you can relax in Pater's Vaetje bar where you can sample the city’s De Koninck beer – or indeed one of the 85 varieties in house.

After that, you can top up your Rubens, or head for the Grote Markt, where you’ll see vibrant architecture surrounding the market square. On the way, a hot chocolate at Café Den Engel would go down well.

it’s actually one of the best destinations for a brass band tour that you can findRayburn Tours

Taste of Belgium

Belgium is also fiercely proud of its food and culinary tradition, and maintains a competitive rivalry with the French. For a taste of the best that Belgium has to offer, why not try out Hecker, a contemporary restaurant serving exciting European cuisine with an equally exciting wine list.

After a day exploring the city, you could discover another side of Belgian life and head west to the coast.

Here, you can explore the miles of dunes – maybe even have a paddle at De Haan – and sample the super-fresh Belgian seafood. For those with young travellers, a day at Plopsaland may be a popular choice.

Packed

Belgium really is packed with such a variety of experiences – beautiful cities, dramatic history, fine food and a welcoming population. This is even before we have mentioned the spectacular performance venues on offer to your brass band.

Last Post

Whether it’s a bandstand in one of the charming coastal towns or the Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate in Ypres, there really are ample venues that will help make it a memorable concert tour for the whole band.

More information

This is just a snippet of what this destination has to offer, but for these reasons alone we are sure that you won’t overlook Belgium again!

For more information, and to read about the concert possibilities for bands in this great destination, visit our website on www.rayburntours.com/brass_bands